The right move?
Will Rams move be a success? Wil lit lead to UK-based NFL team?
By Paul Higham Twitter: @SkySportsPaulH. Last Updated: January 20, 2012 3:53pm
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St Louis Rams: Making the move to London
The St Louis Rams will be visiting the UK for the next three years, but is having a regular team over really the best way to grow the sport in the country? Especially one which, by any standards, is not one of the NFL's best.
Is this move being made to lay the first foundations for a team being based on the other side of the Atlantic, after all, commissioner Roger Goodell himself has said that he could see a team based outside of America in the future.
The argument is that instead of having just UK-based NFL fans turning out to see a rotation of teams arriving, they can have a regular 'home' team to get behind to give it more of a home v away feeling.
Right now, despite their best efforts, the atmosphere at Wembley, albeit a cracking one, is more like an all-star game where fans of all the 32 NFL teams just revel in being able to watch the sport in London.
The difficulty is exactly what team is willing to give up home games on a regular basis, with many suggesting it is only under-performing team such as St Louis who would take that step.
The Rams have not had a winning record since 2003 and have won just 15 games in the last five seasons - just two last year - so that will hardly be a huge seller for London fans to get behind their team.
That said, the Rams had huge injury problems this season, they have a franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford and now have a great coach in Jeff Fisher, so they look like they could finally move in the right direction next season, the UK could get them just at the right time!
But will it work? Let us know your thoughts, will the UK get behind the Rams? Will the move backfire for the NFL or will it actually convince them that a team could actually survive being permanently based outside America?
Let us know your thoughts here..
